The technical field relates to control of data transmission on a network.
The importance of security measures on networks such as LANs (Local Area Networks) has grown in recent years. Firewalls are one kind of security measure deployed on networks. A firewall is typically located at the boundary of an internal network (e.g. a LAN) and an external network (e.g. the Internet), and is utilized to block unauthorized data transmission between the external network and the internal network.
In some instances, a firewall is installed on a client within the network. In such instances, the firewall is able within the network to block unauthorized data transmission between the client and other devices within the network.
Another network security measure is technology using the IEEE 802.1x standard, which is one of the standards of the IEEE (US Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers). Using IEEE 802.1x technology, it is possible to perform user authentication of a client before the client is able to use the network, and to permit use of the network only by clients that have been successfully authenticated.